Air Travel News

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people should avoid traveling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, as daily COVID-19 cases in the country climb to record highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.The move delivers another blow to the cruise industry that had just started returning to the seas in June after a months-long suspension of voyages caused by the pandemic.The CDC on Thursday raised its COVID-19 travel health notice level for cruise ships to its highest warning level…

Brent crude oil rose towards $77 on Monday due to hopes that the Omicron COVID-19 variant will have a limited impact on global demand in 2022, even as U.S. crude came under pressure from flight cancellations amid surging cases.More than 1,300 flights were cancelled by U.S. airlines on Sunday as COVID-19 reduced the number of available crews while several cruise ships had to cancel stops.Global benchmark Brent crude rose 76 cents, or 1%, to $76.90 by 1505 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 22 cents, or 0.3%, at $73.57. The U.S.

China's diesel exports fell in October after a rebound the previous month as refiners diverted more supplies to the domestic market to make up for a supply squeeze following months of production curbs.China shipped abroad 560,000 tonnes of diesel last month, down 74% from the same period last year and down from 780,000 tonnes in September, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Thursday.Chinese refiners cut fuel output in the third quarter because of COVID-19 curbs and floods but diesel consumption rebounded, partly triggered by a widespread power crunch that caught the mark

Dr. Anil Sharma is a wealth of knowledge on ship scrapping, having started GMS 25 years ago, getting into the business of buying and disposing of old U.S. MarAd and Russian navy ships as a sideline while teaching as a college professor in Maryland. Today his company is dominant in the field, and in the last year he has seen an unprecedented 70% run up on ship scrap prices, approaching $500 per ton. He weighs in on ship scrapping trends and direction.By Dr. Anil Sharma’s estimation…

A stuck container vessel in the Suez Canal, which has blocked the flow of goods through the narrow channel, will add strain to global supply chains already stretched by rebounding economic activity and tight shipping container supplies, analysts said on Friday.The 400-metres long Ever Given container vessel has been stuck in the canal since Tuesday, suspending traffic of containers transporting goods, parts and equipment through the shortest sea link between Europe and Asia.The…

Venezuela is shipping jet fuel to Iran in return for vital gasoline imports for the South American nation as part of a swap deal agreed by the two state-run oil firms, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Iran has ramped up assistance to Venezuela since last year as the United States tightened sanctions on both countries, hitting oil exports by state-run firms Petroleos de Venezuela and National Iranian oil Company (NIOC).Iran has sent flotillas of state-operated tankers carrying gasoline and feedstock for motor fuel to Venezuela, as well as equipment and spare parts to help the once-prosperous OPEC nation restart its…

In the past few years, the commercial use of facial recognition technology has advanced at an explosive rate, expanding into numerous industries and trades. For instance, facial biometrics is increasingly relied on by airlines and airports across the globe; a similar trend is starting to take hold in the maritime industry, particularly the cruise sector.While this expansion is occurring, states and cities across the country—as well as the federal government—are attempting to enact strict laws regulating the use of facial recognition technology by commercial entities.

The international shipping and aviation sectors' 2030 climate targets are too weak and their emissions are on course to reach dangerous levels despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, research showed on Wednesday.To limit the temperature rise to safe levels, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions need to be reduced to net-zero by 2050. Shipping and aviation accounted for around 5% of all emissions before the COVID-19 outbreak and are expected to contribute 40% by 2050.Climate Action Tracker…

Ship assessors are resorting to virtual inspections of oil tankers to keep vessels afloat, as the coronavirus pandemic makes physical visits to check for seaworthiness tougher and a slump in fuel demand increases the need for ships as storage.Oil tankers require rigorous inspections twice a year to reduce the risk of oil spills or mechanical collapse with polluting cargoes onboard.But the global pandemic has disrupted international trade, leaving merchant seafarers stuck on ships…

Tanker shipping: sky high freight rates replaced by reality of falling global oil demandGeopolitical tensions have now eased, leaving freight rates to feel the full effects of the weak underlying market and falling demand. Tanker shipping looks set to be under pressure for the rest of the year.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe tanker shipping industry was once again caught in a whirlwind, as freight rates skyrocketed with little regard to the poor market fundamentals before the latter once again caught up with rates.

Namibian ship repair company Namdock has resumed full operations with effect from Tuesday, in accordance with the inception of stage 2 of Namibia’s national COVID-19 lockdown, which has seen the partial easing of restrictive measures thanks to the recent flattening of the minimal in-country infection curve.“Over the past few weeks we have put strict personal protection and sanitization measures in place, to ensure that we could safely resume full-capacity operations when the time came.

Eighteen Carnival Cruise Line ships rendezvoused in The Bahamas over the past several days in line with plans to sail nine of the ships to repatriate more than 10,000 healthy crew members who have remained on board after the cruise line suspended operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.The ships have been at various U.S. homeports provisioning supplies and bunkering fuel for their journeys, and their crews stuck on board due to restrictions limiting air travel to Asia, Africa…

Ships must be allowed to change over overworked and exhausted crews to help to keep trade flowing as coronavirus lockdowns shut many transit points across the globe, shipping industry officials said on Tuesday.About 90% of world trade is transported by sea but a deepening lockdown in many countries and suspended air travel have disrupted supply chains, especially for ship owners who rely on the free movement of crews to keep ships moving.The International Chamber of Shipping association (ICS)…

Freight carriers are struggling to deliver goods by land, sea or air as the coronavirus pandemic forces Western governments to impose lockdowns, threatening supplies of vital products including medicines into the most affected areas, such as Italy.While China's draconian steps to stop the spread of the virus are now allowing its economy slowly to come back online, supply chains are backing up in other parts of the world.Problems ranging from finding enough truck drivers to restrictions on seafarers and a lack of air freight are hitting the smooth flow of goods…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a pandemic. There is little doubt that this will have significant implications for the shipping industry. But to what extent? BIMCO expects that the strict containment measures imposed by governments around the world will result in substantially lower global economic growth and consequentially, lower demand for shipping. Container and dry bulk shipping are at the front line when it comes to feeling the fallout…

A Florida couple who was aboard the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess ocean liner has sued the ship’s owner for more than $1 million, claiming the company put profits over safety and did not have proper screening protocols in place.Ronald and Eva Weissberger of Broward County, Florida sued Princess Cruise Lines Ltd, a unit of Carnival Corp, alleging the company caused them emotional distress and trauma as they fear they will develop the COVID-19, a flu-like disease caused by the…

Weary passengers aboard a cruise ship idled at sea for days by a coronavirus outbreak erupted in cheers on Monday as the vessel sailed into San Francisco Bay en route to the Port of Oakland and the next, unexpected phase of their voyage - two weeks of quarantine.The 2,400 passengers, who have been largely confined to their staterooms since Thursday, were to begin disembarking on Monday for transport to quarantine stations or hospitals, depending on whether they are well or need immediate medical attention.Except for those with acute illness…

German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd said on Tuesday its business in Asia was "overall stable," although the coronavirus outbreak had extended the traditionally slack period around China's Lunar New Year holiday.China's efforts to control the virus had extended the normal factory shutdowns for the New Year festivities to anywhere between Feb. 8 and Feb. 14, depending on the region, a spokesman for the world's fifth largest container carrier told Reuters.However, Hapag-Lloyd's fleet was operating largely as normal…

China's fast-spreading coronavirus is squeezing air and sea freight capacity in the country with a spike in freight rates a likely consequence, one of the world's biggest transport and logistics companies said on Friday.The spread of the deadly virus has shut down many cities and factories in China and disrupted global air travel."We are already now seeing capacity problems on air freight," Jens Bjorn Andersen, chief executive of freight forwarder DSV Panalpina said. "Sea freight is also being impacted."Shipping lines are re-routing cargoes and reducing calls to Chinese ports…

China's fast-spreading coronavirus is throwing the global container shipping trade out of sync, with lines re-routing cargoes and reducing calls to Chinese ports, setting the scene for months of delivery delays ahead, industry sources said.The spread of the deadly virus has shut down cities and factories in China and disrupted global air travel.China's decision to extend its Lunar New Year holiday period until Feb. 10 has compounded logistical complications, despite its ports staying open.

Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG has announced that it has launched a new inspection platform. The company’s new 3DX HD product has been developed as a cost-effective solution to cope with large volumes of high definition blade inspections.Based on the compact and flexible DJI M-210 drone, Sulzer Schmid’s latest innovation delivers high performance and fully autonomous drone inspections at a significantly lower cost compared to its existing 3DXTM Ultra-HD product based on the DJI’s M-600 drone.Thanks to the new capabilities offered by unmanned aerial vehicles…

The European and International Social Partners in the Maritime Sector; the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) support the ongoing efforts to facilitate seafarers’ travel to and from the EU through amendments to the visa rules between Member States. “For the shipping industry to function efficiently and for the safeguarding of decent living and working conditions for seafarers, it is essential to facilitate their movement into the EU to join ships, to be repatriated and to take shore leave without undue hindrance”, said Tim Springett, ECSA spokesperson on the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Maritime Transport (SSDC).

Havenbedrijf Amsterdam N.V. realised revenue of EUR 150.1 million, compared to EUR 146.3 million in 2016. The operating result increased from EUR 73.3 million in 2016 to EUR 74.3 million in 2017. These and other key figures are stated in the annual report published. Koen Overtoom, CEO of Port of Amsterdam: "Record transshipment of 81.3 million tonnes in 2017 contributed to our good operating result of more than 74 million euros. 2017 also saw the arrival of a number of fantastic businesses in the Port, such as Bio Energy Netherlands and Chaincraft, which are contributing to the achievement of our strategy and Vision2030. We have also expressed an ambition to prepare for being a coal-free port in 2030.